Ecology and morphology of the dwarf bromeliad boa Ungaliophis panamensis (Squamata, Boidae, Ungaliophiinae) in Costa Rica and Panama

By

Lewis, Todd R
Griffin, Rowland K.
Martin, Irune Maguregui
Figueroa, Alex
Ray, Julie M.
Feltham, Josh
Grant, Paul B.C

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-5-18

Original Publication

Neotropical Biology and Conservation

Volume

16

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

317--331

Subjects

Bromeliad Boa , Ecology , Habitat , Latent Variable Ordination , snake , tropical forest , Ungaliophis

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Brazil Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.16.e57872

 

Abstract

Ecological and morphological data on Ungaliophis panamensis is extremely limited as this species is rarely encountered. These knowledge gaps have been advanced in this study where data was analysed from a small sample of snakes collected in two tropical forested environments in Costa Rica and Panama. Standardised major axis testing and a Bayesian latent variable ordination revealed that the species is sexually dimorphic, closely associated with tree trunks in natural forested areas, and occasionally discovered in rural buildings. Although further investigation into its natural history is warranted, this study shows that even with just a few individuals it is possible to elucidate ecological information that is relevant to the conservation of snake species.